[dancing with the stars] week two - jive
NOTE: Week two of Tommy's Dancing with the Stars craziness! This week, he performed this jive, give or take a few differences. Tommy did it better, and he didn't mess with her legs nearly as much. ;p Ziyah is zee_ali, and Stephanie is, again, effiecat.
Shit, we bombed.
That was Tommy’s first thought as he came off the dance floor with Stephanie’s hand in his, pulling her back against his chest to face the judges with his heart hammering and his breath coming in short, panicked gasps that had nothing to do with the exertion of dancing.
We bombed. I bombed. Holy crap, I’m going home…
“…okay, I *think* we’ll be able to hear from the judges. Tommy, maybe you can get some control here!...”
Once again, the audience was screaming, and he had no idea what to do with it. He was flushed with the dance, enough to hide his mortification over all the things he’d done wrong. It was almost a relief to take back the role he knew so well, to step away from Stephanie and spread his hands to the audience, addressing them like an old friend.
“Heyyyyy, come on! We gotta hear my scores sometime, no matter how bad they are!!”
It was a moment longer before the crowd subsided long enough for Tom to direct the focus to Bruno. Promptly, the other man stood and started gesturing wildly.
“That! Is! What! I! Want!!” he bellowed, pointing at Tommy with a finger that probably could have driven itself through Kevlar. “That is a precise and conscious application of critique to improve oneself on the dance floor! Thomas, my darling, you are a joy to watch when you’re doing it wrong, and when you get it right it’s nearly religious!! Maybe, and this is just an opinion, perhaps a bit too far afield of your character? But not out of this world. Good application of that dominance and energy, you were a raunchy, rollicking good time! Outstanding!!”
“Carrie Ann?”
There was a moment’s hesitation from Carrie Ann that had Tommy standing with his heart in his throat.
“I liked it.” she finally began slowly, sounding surprised at herself. “I can see you there, biting your nails, I know…but I liked it! I really did. I think I agree a little more about it being too much too soon, but I know where you’re going and I don’t…disagree with it. Your footwork was phenomenal, I *have* to say that. Jive is tough, and for week two? I felt a little like we were watching Sabrina Bryan again. Bottom line? I think there’s a middle ground between what we saw last week and what we saw this week, but am I happy? Ab-so-LUTE-ly.”
“Okay…Len?”
“Once again, I’m happy and I’m not. They’re both right this time, you’ve much improved over last week. Nerves are a bit less, your footwork was beautiful, and I’ve got to compliment you on your *control.* The jive’s an easy dance to get wrong with the speed and the…bounce to it, but there’s also got to be some control in all that chaos. I couldn’t find a thing wrong with a single step, my only complaints are the usual bits I’m not fond of: the guitar with the leg, theatricality. I want to see the traditional dance-”
“What you mean?!?! You got a jive that’s a jive that’s a JIVE!! I don’t get you!”
Len simply sat and waited through Bruno’s protesting, eyes rolled to the sky while the audience laughed and jeered. When it was finally done, looking very put upon, Len continued.
“Tommy? You’re a wonderful dancer, but I’m in agreement with Carrie Ann and Sir Critiqueus Interruptus over here: I just feel like you were tryin’ too hard to show us you’re not a Nervous Nelly on that floor. But I don’t *think* we’ll see great things from you: I bloody well know if we’ve a man in the finals, it’s goin’ to be you! Well done.”
Tommy managed to mouth a thank you before being shuffled back into the audience to head for the celebrequarium. In the front row, he paused beside Zee and May, bending to kiss his daughter, then his fiancée.
“Pretty dance, Tata!”
“Thanks, May Bunny.”
“You look so cute in your little vest.” Zee cooed as she kissed him, a wicked light glinting in her eyes.
“Yeah, just wait’ll you get back into those maternity clothes again.” He whispered, laying a hand against her belly for just an instant before he drew away again and followed Stephanie back into the holding tank.
“Wow! I honestly think that if the audience had those paddles tonight, our winner would have been decided! The judges have been pretty hard on you guys, but also very encouraging. How do you feel about that?”
“I feel like…I’m accomplishing something here.” Tommy replied with a nod, pausing to wrap Stephanie in a sideways hug. “Me and my homegirl here, we’re pulling this off and I’m totally shocked. To be honest? I was sure I blew the whole damn thing. I really thought it was gonna be worse.”
“Oh, come on!” Stephanie giggled, swatting his arm.
“Steff, what’s it like to work with this guy? The crowd loves him, and the judges seem to think he’s a real contender.”
“That’s because he is! I work with this guy day in and day out, and I *know* he’s got potential. And it’s good that the crowd loves him, ‘cause we need votes. So VOTE, everybody!!”
“All right, then…let’s get your scores.”
Tommy held his breath as he wrapped Stephanie up again and held on for dear life.
“…Carrie Ann Inaba!”
“Eight!
“Len Goodman!”
“Eight!”
“Bruno Tonioli!”
“NINE!!”
“What the ffffffffffffeak?!?!?!” Tommy exploded, barely hearing himself over Stephanie’s squealing. Sweeping her up into his arms, he spun her in a circle as the crowd erupted outside the room.
“Twenty five out of thirty, that gives you *forty eight* out of sixty for the first two weeks!”
Setting Stephanie back down, Tommy reflexively reached out to catch the microphone, an arm still draped around Effie’s shoulders. “Second best news I’ve had all month, ‘cause tonight? I got all four people in my cheering section: my fiancée, my daughter, my buddy Bee…who I’m sharin’ with Rico over there…and the baby in my girl’s belly.”
“What?!?! You didn’t tell me, you turd!!!!” Effie squealed, gaping at him alongside Brooke.
“Oh my God, are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. We been waiting for the right moment, and I told Zee this was the night. Me and her are gonna have another baby.”
“Congratulations, guys! You heard it here first, folks!”
“I’m gonna kill you dead, come here!!” Effie giggled, wrapping Tommy in a massive hug. “Congrats, Magic Man!!”
Laughing, Tommy hugged her back as Brooke encouraged the viewers to vote, glancing back at the others in the room who were suddenly surging forward to offer their well-wishes.
“Congrats, Tommy!”
“Congratulations!”
“…and as the celebrities congratulate our new expecting father, let’s take another look at tonight’s performances…”
Shit, we bombed.
That was Tommy’s first thought as he came off the dance floor with Stephanie’s hand in his, pulling her back against his chest to face the judges with his heart hammering and his breath coming in short, panicked gasps that had nothing to do with the exertion of dancing.
We bombed. I bombed. Holy crap, I’m going home…
“…okay, I *think* we’ll be able to hear from the judges. Tommy, maybe you can get some control here!...”
Once again, the audience was screaming, and he had no idea what to do with it. He was flushed with the dance, enough to hide his mortification over all the things he’d done wrong. It was almost a relief to take back the role he knew so well, to step away from Stephanie and spread his hands to the audience, addressing them like an old friend.
“Heyyyyy, come on! We gotta hear my scores sometime, no matter how bad they are!!”
It was a moment longer before the crowd subsided long enough for Tom to direct the focus to Bruno. Promptly, the other man stood and started gesturing wildly.
“That! Is! What! I! Want!!” he bellowed, pointing at Tommy with a finger that probably could have driven itself through Kevlar. “That is a precise and conscious application of critique to improve oneself on the dance floor! Thomas, my darling, you are a joy to watch when you’re doing it wrong, and when you get it right it’s nearly religious!! Maybe, and this is just an opinion, perhaps a bit too far afield of your character? But not out of this world. Good application of that dominance and energy, you were a raunchy, rollicking good time! Outstanding!!”
“Carrie Ann?”
There was a moment’s hesitation from Carrie Ann that had Tommy standing with his heart in his throat.
“I liked it.” she finally began slowly, sounding surprised at herself. “I can see you there, biting your nails, I know…but I liked it! I really did. I think I agree a little more about it being too much too soon, but I know where you’re going and I don’t…disagree with it. Your footwork was phenomenal, I *have* to say that. Jive is tough, and for week two? I felt a little like we were watching Sabrina Bryan again. Bottom line? I think there’s a middle ground between what we saw last week and what we saw this week, but am I happy? Ab-so-LUTE-ly.”
“Okay…Len?”
“Once again, I’m happy and I’m not. They’re both right this time, you’ve much improved over last week. Nerves are a bit less, your footwork was beautiful, and I’ve got to compliment you on your *control.* The jive’s an easy dance to get wrong with the speed and the…bounce to it, but there’s also got to be some control in all that chaos. I couldn’t find a thing wrong with a single step, my only complaints are the usual bits I’m not fond of: the guitar with the leg, theatricality. I want to see the traditional dance-”
“What you mean?!?! You got a jive that’s a jive that’s a JIVE!! I don’t get you!”
Len simply sat and waited through Bruno’s protesting, eyes rolled to the sky while the audience laughed and jeered. When it was finally done, looking very put upon, Len continued.
“Tommy? You’re a wonderful dancer, but I’m in agreement with Carrie Ann and Sir Critiqueus Interruptus over here: I just feel like you were tryin’ too hard to show us you’re not a Nervous Nelly on that floor. But I don’t *think* we’ll see great things from you: I bloody well know if we’ve a man in the finals, it’s goin’ to be you! Well done.”
Tommy managed to mouth a thank you before being shuffled back into the audience to head for the celebrequarium. In the front row, he paused beside Zee and May, bending to kiss his daughter, then his fiancée.
“Pretty dance, Tata!”
“Thanks, May Bunny.”
“You look so cute in your little vest.” Zee cooed as she kissed him, a wicked light glinting in her eyes.
“Yeah, just wait’ll you get back into those maternity clothes again.” He whispered, laying a hand against her belly for just an instant before he drew away again and followed Stephanie back into the holding tank.
“Wow! I honestly think that if the audience had those paddles tonight, our winner would have been decided! The judges have been pretty hard on you guys, but also very encouraging. How do you feel about that?”
“I feel like…I’m accomplishing something here.” Tommy replied with a nod, pausing to wrap Stephanie in a sideways hug. “Me and my homegirl here, we’re pulling this off and I’m totally shocked. To be honest? I was sure I blew the whole damn thing. I really thought it was gonna be worse.”
“Oh, come on!” Stephanie giggled, swatting his arm.
“Steff, what’s it like to work with this guy? The crowd loves him, and the judges seem to think he’s a real contender.”
“That’s because he is! I work with this guy day in and day out, and I *know* he’s got potential. And it’s good that the crowd loves him, ‘cause we need votes. So VOTE, everybody!!”
“All right, then…let’s get your scores.”
Tommy held his breath as he wrapped Stephanie up again and held on for dear life.
“…Carrie Ann Inaba!”
“Eight!
“Len Goodman!”
“Eight!”
“Bruno Tonioli!”
“NINE!!”
“What the ffffffffffffeak?!?!?!” Tommy exploded, barely hearing himself over Stephanie’s squealing. Sweeping her up into his arms, he spun her in a circle as the crowd erupted outside the room.
“Twenty five out of thirty, that gives you *forty eight* out of sixty for the first two weeks!”
Setting Stephanie back down, Tommy reflexively reached out to catch the microphone, an arm still draped around Effie’s shoulders. “Second best news I’ve had all month, ‘cause tonight? I got all four people in my cheering section: my fiancée, my daughter, my buddy Bee…who I’m sharin’ with Rico over there…and the baby in my girl’s belly.”
“What?!?! You didn’t tell me, you turd!!!!” Effie squealed, gaping at him alongside Brooke.
“Oh my God, are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. We been waiting for the right moment, and I told Zee this was the night. Me and her are gonna have another baby.”
“Congratulations, guys! You heard it here first, folks!”
“I’m gonna kill you dead, come here!!” Effie giggled, wrapping Tommy in a massive hug. “Congrats, Magic Man!!”
Laughing, Tommy hugged her back as Brooke encouraged the viewers to vote, glancing back at the others in the room who were suddenly surging forward to offer their well-wishes.
“Congrats, Tommy!”
“Congratulations!”
“…and as the celebrities congratulate our new expecting father, let’s take another look at tonight’s performances…”